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"I wonder why France signed on to UN 1441 in light of all that?"

For the same reason democrats were willing to vote for a use of military strength, but not a declaration of war.

It was a simple ruse used to justify a stance on either side, and blame those who actually make decisions for their decisions no matter what the decision was.

France signed 1441 so that they could be "tough" with saddamn, and then be the ones to walk in and say "We have these BRILLIANT inspectors who say that Saddam is only guilty of neglect, without any sinister plot" This would mean that France can take a strong stance, and then back away with not only honor but glory for having gotten to the bottom of the problem. Once France had finished with their glorious ability to convince the world and avert a bloody war, they could then claim that the neglect over the previous 11-13 years was caused by the UN Sanctions, thereby having the sanctions removed, and then glorying in the wealth that would come out of Iraq as the primary wester service nation for criminals of every ilk.